Mouthpiece for saxophones



Patented Non. 17, 1.925.

JULIUS J. NEUMANN,

OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

MOUTHPIECE FOR SAXOPHOITES.

Application filed July 14, 1922. Serial No. 574,950.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, .lutins J. NEUMANN, a citizen ot the United States,and a resident ot Chicago, county of Cook, and State of Illinois, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in tfIou-thpieces t'orSaxophones; nnd I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear,and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which torni apart ot' this specification.

This invention relates to improvements in reed clamps for then'iouthpieces ot saxophones, clarionets and like musical instruments andconsists of the matt-ers hereinafter described and more particularlypointed out in the appended claim.

The object ot the invention is to provide a reed clamp by means of whichthe reed may be securely clamped and held on its base, may be reinforcedagainst warping and which at the same time permits the ready and quickinsertion, adjustment, or removal and replacement of the reed.

This and other objects and advantages the invention will appear as Iproceed with my specification.

In the drawings Fig. 1 is a View in side elevation ot the mouthpiece ota saxophone, clarionet, or the like instrument having a reed-clampembodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is a bottom plan view of the same.

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal, vertical sectional View through the mouthpieceon a enlarged scale.

Figs. 4 and 5 are cross sectional views through the mouthpiece as takenon the lines 1- 4 and 55, respectively ot' Fig. 3.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a housing member embodiedl in myimproved reed clamp as it appears when removed from the housing.

Iiig. 7 is a perspective view of the clamping plate included in myimproved reed clamp.

Referring now to that embodiment ot the invention illustrated in thedrawings 1() indicates the mouthpiece of a reed instrument provided withthe improved reed clamp. Said body is preferably made oit' cast metal,although it may be of vulcanized rubber as usual in instruments of thekind. 11 indicates the part oit the mouthpiece known as the lay surfacewhich is formed of the mouthpiece at the shoulders 18.

to receive the reed 12 and which at the rear, as indicated at 13, ismade lat to provide a base against which the reed is attached andsupported in a familiar manner. 15 indicates the bevel tip of themouthpiece. "An shown in the drawings, the bevel part of the tip ispreferably provided with a pad 17 of yielding material suclnas hardrubber.I which inset in the said bevel part, being held in place bymeans of transversely eiftending, overhanging tianges 16 which provide atransverse recess extending across the bevel top of themo'utl1piece,-the recess being open at either end i'or the inscrtionoit' said pad. The said pad may be held 1n place by shellac or otherconvenient means and provides a grip` for the teeth which absorbs andrelieves the vibration ot the instrument in a Vfamiliar manner.

The bottom part of the mouthpiece is formed at each side of the rear endpart 1&5 of the lay surface with longitudinal shoulders 18 (see Fig. 1)at each side of and eX- tending at right angles to the said lay surface.19 indicates a housing' (see Fig. 6). Said housing is made of sheetmetal and is in the form of a channel having laterally spaced side walls2O and a transversely curved or arched bottom wall 21. The side walls 2Oof the housing engage against the longitudinal shoulders 18 and thebottom wall 21 stands below the flat part 13 of the clay surface 11. Thehousing is secured in place by means of screws 22 which extend throughthe side walls 2O of the housing and into the body 23a` 23a, indicatethumb screws which are threaded through the bottom wall 21 of thehousing and are adapted to engage and hold the reed against the flatpart 13 ot the lay surface 11. As shown, the said bottom wall 21 of thehousing is provided with apertured threaded bosses 23 to receive saidthumb screws.

The thumb screws do not engage the reed directly but indirectly throughthe medium ot a clamping plate 2G which is ioinicd to fit between theside walls oi" the housing and to engage the rounded, butt end oi 'thereed, said clamping plateis provided intermediate its ends with aninteriorly threaded stud 27, and the bottom wall of the housing isprovided with a corresponding opening 25 (see Fig. 3) through which saidstud extends. A thumb screw 28 is engaged in the interiorly threadedstud 27 of the clamping plate 26 and a coiled spring 30, of a diameterlarge enough to embrace the end of the stud 27 which projects throughthe opening 25 in the bottom wall of the housing, is interposed betweenkthe outer surface ot' the aforesaid bottom wall of the said housing andthe head 29 of the said thumb screw-an annular flange being formed onthe 'bottom wall of the housing to enclose and protect the said coilspring. It is manifest that since the coil spring is interposed betweenthe head 29 ot' the thumb screw 28, which is threaded into the stud 27on the clamping plate 26, that the spring will tend to draw or pull theclamping plate towards the bottom wall of the housing. Thus, when "the'thumb screws 23a which, as above described, through the medium of theclamping plate, khold the base ot the reed in place yare unscrewed torelease the clamping plate, `the coil spring 30 will act against thehead 29 of 'the thumb screw 28 to dislodge the clamping plate from itsengagement with the reed, thereby breaking any connection that mayhavebeen made between the clamping plate andthe reed due to moistureacquired inthe process of playing the instrument, or otherwise. Thetension of the spring 30 may apparently be adjusted by 'means of thescrew 28.

The clamping plate 26 is formed so that its 'lateral edges may slidefreely within the side walls of the housing. The thumb screws arearranged so that their pressure may be brought to bear along the medianline of the reed. As the clamping plate is rounded to fit the outersurface o'l the reed butt the screws will thus apply an even pressurewhich extends equally over the base against which the reed is seated.The operation and advantages of the improved reed clamp will belapparent to those familiar with the art. A reed may be removed andreplaced with certainty and precision by means ot the thumb screws 23a.

Vhile in describing my invention I have referred to certain details ofmechanical construction and arrangement, it is to be understood that theinvention is in no way limited thereto, except as 'may be pointed out inthe appended claim.

l claim as my invention A reed clamp tor a musical instrument`comprising in combination with a tubular mouthpiece body provided with alay surface for a reed, a channel shaped housing member mounted on thebody and enclosing the flattened rear end part of said lay sur'lacewhich provides a base for the butt end of the reed, said housing memberincluding a back wali spaced from said llay surface, a clamping 4platein said housing JULIUS J. 'NEUMANiNx

